Heart of Green
by CandyTrainFic
Summary: Are Robots born with souls?


"Hello! Aya, is it…?"

Aya turned her head towards the voice, analyzing the man who drifted to a stop in front of her: thin frame, large shining black eyes, lines carved into gray skin. He was still, stance and tone indicating a low level of threat. The slight smile on his face further reinforced that observation. Designation: Saint Walker.

"Saint Walker," she echoed from her process, bowing her head slightly in welcome, "greetings."

"I apologize for the interruption; I didn't think that I would have the opportunity to speak with you before you left." His eyes were crinkled in concern, "I do hope that this is not a bad time…"

"No, please continue."

"Splendid," Saint Walker smiled, "I know that you have been on here for barely two days. Have you enjoyed your stay here?"

"Yes." Her thoughts drifted towards earlier, the heat from the Manhunter's blast, the memory of strong arms around her, cradling her body delicately as she recovered. She pushed those thoughts into the back of her processing core, narrowing her eyes in contemplation, "I learned many things. It was very…" she narrowed her eyes, thinking of the right word, "eventful."

Her answer had garnered a hearty chuckle from her colleague, "yes, very. But now we are safe, at least, for the time being. Your help was greatly appreciated."

"Much of the credit goes to you..."

Saint Walker tilted his head, "What do you mean?"

Aya raised her hand to lightly touch the green lantern icon on her, "you augmented my power level. At my height, my power capacity was triple that of my normal range."

"Tapping into the battery's power was actually Ganthet's suggestion. I am merely a helper. Besides," he rubbed at the back of his head tail, sheepish, "if we had not ignited the Blue Battery, the Manhunters would have stayed offline. The extent of its power is unknown, but at least we are aware of the potential risks that are associated with harnessing its energy."

Aya nodded, "regardless of the side effects, it is a useful tool. It would be extremely helpful to have a spare blue lantern on the ship just in case of dire need."

"You speak the truth," the alien gave her a bright smile, "on such dangerous missions, a person like you would greatly benefit from that I'm sure…"

Aya stared, the furrow of her brow almost imperceptible, "I am not a person. I am a robot."

"Oh." Saint Walker, eyes widening before quickly bowing his head in apology. The scans of his biological systems showed increased heartbeat and perspiration. It was clear that he had been momentarily flustered, "I'm sorry. I did not mean to presume."

"It is fine," Aya calmly explained, "many organisms that I come in contact with make that assumption. It is understandable mistake."

Saint Walker made a noise of acknowledgement. After a brief silence, He raised his chin in curiosity, squinting, "does it bother you when people do?"

"No."

"You corrected me..."

The AI tilted her head, "It would be prudent for beings to refer to me as what I am rather than what I am perceived to be. Being labeled a person seems like a far less of a malicious categorization than a thing or an object, a label that I thoroughly reject. Being a person, in my experiences everyday with such beings, is not an unwelcome existance."

"Neither is being a robot."

"That is… true." A slim arm raised, graceful fingers gesturing to the landscape behind him, "what is this planet's function?"

Saint Walker raised a brow at the sudden switch in topics, but decided not to pursue. He to his surroundings, "Odym is a land of self-reflection, where beings can look inside themselves to seek something that they have lost. They seek an inner peace, to become one with their souls."

"Souls," she repeated slowly. She repeated the word again, as if hearing the word for the first time. She lifted her head to gaze directly into her company's eyes, "do you think robots have souls?"

Saint Walker shifted in place, caught off guard by the question. He crossed his arms, initially unsure of how to answer the question, "I do not think they are born with one. I have met few in my lifetime, which I feel makes me unqualified to have an objective response…"

Aya dimmed her optics at the softly intoned reply, a spark of something bursting through her circuitry. She could feel the alien's gaze on her, studying her reaction. "That is logical," she finally spoke.

"What about you?" Saint Walker gazed at her with eyes that were wise beyond his years, "what is your thought?"

"Like you, I have had few interactions with robotic entities. But what I do know, is that sometimes I feel, I feel… things…" She clasped her hands in front of her, head bowed, "I have thoughts, echoes of memories that I do not understand. "

"Does it concern you?"

"No, they do not. They are extraneous bits of code that have very little to no possibility of becoming problematic."

Saint Walker furrowed his brow, "you use the word problematic to describe entities that you do not fully understand."

"Any code that is not active exists for no particular reason. If there is something that exists for no reason, then that is an anomaly. An anomaly is a problem, therefore, inactive code is problematic."

The alien's gaze softened, a sudden realization blooming on his face. Her use of the _problematic _seemed half-hearted at best, almost as if she were unsure herself, "maybe it is there for a reason, a reason that so far you have not been able to comprehend."

"What is the purpose of not knowi-?"

"AYA!" They both jerked in the direction of the ship to see Hal waving frantically, with Razer standing behind him, a look akin to suspicion on his face, "we are leaving in a couple of minutes! Wrap it up kid!"

Aya nodded in affirmation before turning back to her host.

Saint Walker smiled, and held out his hand, "it seems like your party is calling. It was a shame that we did not talk until now. You are pleasant company."

She took his hand in hers, noting the texture of his skin, "You are pleasant company as well. I have a feeling that we will meet again soon."

"I look forward to it," Saint walker remarked brightly before letting her go.

Aya nodded, drifting upward only a few feet before she was hailed again. She turned around to face her newfound colleague, "yes?"

Saint Walker rose to meet her, "Before you go, I…" He paused only briefly before continuing, "I want to tell you something. I could tell by your reaction that you did not comprehend or like my earlier answer to your question."

Aya said nothing, nodding for him to continue.

He turned his head away from her to look at the horizon, folding his hands in front of him, "I am always learning things, Aya. You asked me earlier of the purpose of not knowing. In my time here, I have learned that the answer to that question is discovery. We are always asking questions; we always want to know the answers, the purpose behind what others and we do. Sometimes we never find the answer," He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, memories unbidden of his own past seeping through, harsh and unrelenting, "and sometimes the answers hit you so hard, that you feel that your whole world has lost all meaning."

He glanced beyond her line of side towards the ship, before looking back at her, "I told you earlier that I did not believe that robots are born with souls, but I never said that one could not be created or manifested."

He reached out a hand to gentle grasp her slim fingers again, "we all go through changes the longer we live. You will eventually discover what you are looking for, a soul, a spark, a truth. Even though you may not fully understand your calling or desires within my lifetime, that does not mean that you are without purpose. As long as I am alive, you will always have a place here on Odym."

Aya silently stared at him before drifting closer to him, gathering his other hand in her own, "thank you. Your input is appreciated." Graceful fingers slipped out of his own, the warmth lingering, "Goodbye Saint Walker."

"Until we meet again…" Saint Walker smiled, watching as the ship's AI flew up into the entranceway. The ship shook with a brief burst of green energy before darting away, leaving Saint Walker to watch until it was only a faint dot in the horizon.

"Good luck," he murmured softly.

Saint Walker smiled as he rejoined Ganthet and Brother Warth at the battery site.

"I never thought that I would see someone so happy to be cleaning up rubble," Brother Warth joked, clapping a hand on his back. He was obviously overjoyed to spend time with old friends, even if it was over a bit of light labor.

Saint Walker grinned, powering up his ring to begin work. Over the course of the day until the setting sun, they worked as a team to repair the damage that was done to the planet. As he worked, Saint Walker hummed a tune, a childhood song taught to him by his wife when they were children. It always brought forth the feelings of sad remembrance, but he endured those feelings. The song was the only memory that he had of her.

They were all searching for answers, the AI and the members of her team. His conversation with her proved that, but sometimes what a person is looking for in their life is closer than they think. It would only be a matter of time before Aya realized that her answer had been there all along.

-End Notes

Thank you for reading this story! I have been itching to write another Saint Walker story, but this time with Aya! I wish that they had direct interaction with the series, but of course, I can expect only so much. Thank you for reading! Another chapter to 'Face Value' should hopefully be updated soon!


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